Dilki Weerakon, Head of client strategy at Talon said:

“It starts by making our industry visible and attainable; media is vast and most will be aware of it, but OOH remains underexposed. This is something we’re actively addressing by creating clear pathways into the industry, through partnerships with Advertising Unlocked, to educate school students.

Also working with organisations such as Creative Access to reach underrepresented talent, offering apprenticeships, paid internships and work experience, as well as promoting entry level roles via platforms like the ERIC app”, reports Campaign.

Grayling’s commitment to inclusion and social mobility extends beyond policy. The agency has strengthened partnerships with Creative Access, Lexxic and the Creative Mentor Network to widen access into the industry, support neurodiverse talent and expand mentoring opportunities for underrepresented groups, reports HR News.

Starcom deploys various tactics to help staff develop their careers, from role-specific training to leadership schemes and specialist pathways, including those covering AI, data, commerce and planning... To recruit and retain a diverse workforce, the agency works with a host of partners, including 10,000 Interns Foundation, Creative Access, Next Tech Girls and Not Going to Uni, reports Campaign.

AMS Media Group is built on independent thinking and openness, a place where people feel trusted, supported and motivated to do their best work… By partnering with organisations such as Creative Access, Multiverse and the Early Careers Foundation, it brings in talent from underrepresented communities, reports Campaign.

Grayling’s commitment to inclusion and social mobility includes partnerships with Creative Access, Lexxic and the Creative Mentor Network. These partnerships widen access into the industry, support neurodiverse talent and expand mentoring opportunities for underrepresented groups across the UK. Reports Chris Newbould, Prolific North.

Liverpool-based indie publisher is awarded internship grant ‘to open doors for under-represented talent in publishing,’ which is funded in memory of the former Faber finance director, reports BookBrunch.

Dead Ink, an independent publisher in Liverpool and self-proclaimed “publisher of the weird, bold, and genre-defying,” has been named the second recipient of the David Tebbutt Internship Fund – an initiative launched in 2025 from Creative Access and the David Tebbutt Trust to open doors for under-represented talent in publishing.  Reports Chris Newbould, Prolific North.

Liverpool-based publisher, Dead Ink, is awarded internship grant to open doors for under-represented talent in publishing. 

Dead Ink, an independent publisher in the North of England, is the award-winning alternative to mainstream publishing, “publishers of the weird, bold, and genre-defying”.  

The company has been named the second recipient of the David Tebbutt Internship Fund – an initiative launched in 2025 from Creative Access and the David Tebbutt Trust to open doors for under-represented talent in publishing.   

The internship fund honours the memory of David Tebbutt, former Finance Director at Faber, who passed away in 2011. The Fund is jointly administered by Faber and the Tebbutt family.  

The Fund will provide 100% of the cost of an intern’s training bursary or salary based on the Real Living Wage for a 6-month, full-time traineeship once a year for three years. It will also cover all costs relating to the recruitment and training of successful candidates.  

The initiative is aimed at small, regional publishers who might not otherwise have the resources to host a trainee. It is specifically designed to support people from backgrounds historically under-represented in publishing – this includes, but is not limited to, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent people, and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.  

On receiving the funding, Nathan Connolly, managing director of Dead Ink, said: 

“Dead Ink’s origins are as a shoestring press driven by passion, and we have long championed working-class access to the publishing industry. It gives us great pleasure to be able to accept this funding to open doors to those from a similar background as myself.” 

Judith Tebbutt, wife of the late David Tebbutt, and Oliver Tebbutt, his son, as trustees of the David Tebbutt Trust said:  

“We are absolutely delighted that Dead Ink has been chosen as the recipient of the second Creative Access/David Tebbutt Trust award. This will give the chosen trainee an exceptional opportunity for what is hoped will be, a successful future career in publishing. David would have been extremely happy.”  

Josie Dobrin OBE, founder and executive chair of Creative Access, commented:  

“We were super impressed by the quality and range of applications for the second round of the David Tebbutt internship, and selecting a recipient was no easy task. We are delighted to award the grant to Dead Ink and are confident they will provide an excellent opportunity for someone from a disadvantaged or marginalised background to enter the publishing industry while helping to continue David’s legacy.” 

Recruitment for Dead Ink’s editorial trainee will be led by Creative Access. The intern will be paid the National Living Wage and join Creative Access’ Springboard programme, receiving training, mentoring and peer support to help them build a sustainable career in publishing.  

Applications for the next round of the Fund will be open from the start of January – mid February 2027. For more information and to apply, contact recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk. 

Apply to become Dead Ink’s next editorial trainee. Applications close: Monday 1 June 2026 at 11.59pm. 

BBC Verify Correspondent Merlyn Thomas is part of the unit that launched in May 2023 and is made up of about 60 journalists on the front line of fighting disinformation that spreads through images, video and audio.

Merlyn joined the BBC as a Creative Access trainee, starting off in radio, then climate disinformation, reports Laura Rutkowski, Radio Times.

In her role at Grayling, she was a founding member of the agency’s original DEI group and parenting employee resource group, and was responsible at the board level for a range of inclusivity programmes, including with partners such as Lexxic, Creative Mentor Network and Creative Access. Reports Siobhan Holt, PR Week.

Eborall is a known industry advocate for DEI. She has been chair of PRCA Yorkshire & Lincolnshire since 2020, membership officer for Women in PR since 2024 and recently joined the steering committee for Break the Silence. She has a long-standing track record of mentoring with organisations such as Leeds Beckett University, and in her role at Grayling was a founding member of the agency’s original DEI group and Parenting Employee Resource Group, and was responsible at board level for activating a range of inclusivity programmes, including with partners such as Lexxic, Creative Mentor Network and Creative Access. Reports Chris Newbould, Prolific North.

“Since 2021, ITV has partnered on a mentoring scheme with Creative Access, an organisation that helps people from under-represented communities to access careers in creative industries. In 2025, ITV hit their target of matching over 500 mentoring partnerships, achieving 504 in total,” reports Advanced Television.